RIJEKA: GOSPIC GROUP TRIAL RESUMES

RIJEKA, Nov 18 (Hina) - After a month-long recess, caused by a pulmonary condition of first indictee Tihomir Oreskovic, Rijeka County court judge Ika Saric on Monday read out statements recently given by witnesses from Germany and Yugoslavia for the purposes of the trial of the so-called Gospic group. #L# The witnesses would not testify before the Rijeka court mostly for reason of personal safety. Witness Zdenko Bando, a former military policeman and commander of the Gospic military police in 1991, said in his statement that he had participated, acting upon orders by his superiors, in the abduction of Serb civilians in October 1991, for whom he thought that they would be exchanged. He said that Tihomir Oreskovic had ordered him to kill Serb civilians, and when he refused to do so, he was dismissed from the military. After he told the media about the events in Gospic, Mirko Norac threatened to kill him, the witness said. Bando said Oreskovic had been Norac's superior and had given him orders, but the two could not be against each other because they were both linked with the murders. Another two witnesses from Germany, Tomislav Oreskovic and Zdenko Ropac, spoke about investigations they conducted into the events in Gospic. Both witnesses said that Tihomir Oreskovic was the most influential person in Gospic at the time and linked him to the abduction and murder of civilians. They also accused him of the death threats they had been exposed to and attempts to kill them, which was the reason why they left Croatia. Oreskovic said the statements were made by "the Croatian intelligence underground" and called the three witnesses "professional witnesses". Norac said Zdenko Bando had been trained for his testimony by political structures and non-government organisations and that his aim was to slander the Croatian army and soldiers. Judge Saric also read statements by 17 witnesses, mostly family members and neighbours of the abducted Serb civilians and witnesses to the abductions, given at a Belgrade court. Norac claimed the statements were prepared "under the control of Serb intelligence services" and that he had never participated in the abduction of civilians nor had any knowledge of it. The trial resumes on Tuesday. (hina) rml sb